


Queering Hollywood’s Superheroes

by brodinsons (aeon_entwined)



Category: Thor (2011)
Genre: Critical Analysis, Meta, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-20
Updated: 2012-10-20
Packaged: 2017-11-16 17:00:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/541785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeon_entwined/pseuds/brodinsons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As requested by tumblr, this is a critical essay written on the 2011 film <i>Thor</i> for my Film Studies course. The aim is to analyze a mainstream Hollywood film by queering it, using subtext, anxiety about gender roles, and sources provided to supplement your argument.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Queering Hollywood’s Superheroes

Queerness in cinema is something that generic audiences tend to be relatively ignorant of, or staunchly opposed to. That latter sentiment has lessened over the years, but we still have yet to see a broad, over-arching acceptance of non-normative sexual identities through society and the media. This is especially true within the realm of superheroes. Superheroes cannot be gay. Or so many claim. Really, that claim is rather stunted. In fact, if one knows where to look and when, there is a veritable treasure trove of subtle queer subtext woven throughout the histories and stories of our many beloved heroes and heroines. Then, there is the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the movie adaptations of the more well known faces from the comic lore including Iron Man, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk. More specifically, there is the 2011 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor, laden with more tangible subtext than any of its predecessors.

Thor is already a unique comic book adaptation in that it has been hailed as a feminist film. That has served to lend the film a strength that it would have otherwise lacked. One of the most notable female characters outside of the hero’s eventual love interest is a goddess of Asgard, named Sif. She is the immortal goddess of war and grew up alongside Thor and his friends. Unlike the rest of her fellow court women, she grew into the most feared shield maiden the gods had ever seen. She is an anomaly, uniquely different from traditional Asgardian women in that she prefers taking up a sword to taking up a needle and thread. She is, in essence, masculine. While Thor and his comrades accept her into their ranks, there is an almost tangible degree of anxiety about them. They do not know what to make of a soft woman besting them in the art of battle; something Asgardian men have excelled at for millennia. There is a telling scene of this between Thor and Sif. He leads with the following: “And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?” She replies: “I did.” To which Thor then responds with: “True, but I supported you, Sif.” Thor’s masculinity is threatened by the notion that Sif could have accomplished such things on her own merit. As dictated by traditional society, men are strong and women are weak. Women require men to support them in order to accomplish meaningful things. Warriors feel threatened by her because they do not want to be likened to women. Alexander Doty touches on this in his essay, “There’s Something Queer Here”: “For example, gay men who identify with some conception of ‘the feminine’ through processes that could stem from conscious personal choice, or from internalizing long-standing straight imperatives that encourage gay men to think of themselves as ‘not men’ (and therefore, by implication or by direct attribution, as being like ‘women’).” (Doty 71-90) Being seen as feminine or womanly is an insult to men. Asgardian society is no different from our own in that respect, and that is why Sif is such a notable exception to all the gendered rules of their patriarchy. Both the men and women of Asgard have grown to admire her, and her triumphs garner her everlasting fame.

In line with the “feminine as weak” mentality, there is the relationship between the false brothers, Loki and Thor. Raised together for over a thousand years, their bond is unlike any other. Thor’s strength lies on the field of battle, Loki’s lies in the realm of sorcery. There is a stigma against those who wield magic because it is a traditionally womanly art. Why would you want to take up spells when you could just as easily take up a sword against your enemies? This is something that drives an omnipresent wedge between them, despite their seemingly unconditional love for one another. A particular deleted scene illustrates their polarities wonderfully. It takes place before Thor’s coronation, where the pair is discussing a previous adventure against the inhabitants of Nornheim. “How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?” demands Thor. In return, Loki offers: “As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape.” Thor laughs heartily, affectionately dismissing Loki’s reply: “Ah yes, some do battle, others just do tricks.” It truly is a stark dichotomy between the perception of masculinity and femininity amongst the Asgardians. Despite the fact that Loki is a formidable force in battle with his own strengths, they are not seen as “legitimate” because they do not involve hacking away at your enemies with weapons like the rest of the men. Later in that same scene, the pair exchanges a few heartfelt words, proclaiming their affection for each other. After that, Loki goads Thor by saying: “Now give us a kiss.” Thor immediately smacks his shoulder and chuckles: “Stop it.” The idea of giving into the softer emotions, of allowing himself to be emotionally vulnerable even for his brother, is unthinkable for Thor. He is the prince of Asgard and its greatest warrior. He cannot afford to have people doubt his masculine strength. Doty provides another insight into the mentality: “Queer positions, queer readings, and queer pleasures are part of a reception space that stands simultaneously beside and within that created by heterosexual and straight positions.” (Doty 71-90) This scene could be read from a purely heterosexual standpoint, or it could be read as Thor being afraid of being seen as something other than traditionally heterosexual and virile; a fear of being queered.

Returning to the theme of feminism within the film’s narrative, the two leading female characters are some of the strongest that have been written in terms of both a comic adaptation and contemporary cinema at large. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis are close friends, and have been living together as professional and intern for some time before the film’s narrative picks up. Neither woman is tethered to a man, but neither are they tethered to each other. They are strong characters unto themselves and their dialogue rarely focuses on a male character. They talk about science together, they support one another when conflicts arise, and they are clearly willing to risk their lives for each other if the moment calls for it. An ex flame was hinted at when Thor first arrived, but Jane’s interest in Thor is really only cemented at the conclusion of the film. And even then, the question remains: is she only interested in men? Could she be bisexual? The same question can be raised about Darcy. She visibly appreciates the male form (notably Thor’s), but she has no romantic ties to speak of, male or female. Could she be bisexual as well? We, the audience, are not explicitly told. “In representation, as in life, you might never know for certain, as silences and gaps in information can be as telling and meaningful as what is said or shown. It is arrogant to insist that all non-blatantly queer-coded characters must be read as straight--especially in cases where all we have is narrative silence on the subject of certain characters' sexuality.” (Doty 3-4) As Doty illustrates here, it would be demeaning to say that Darcy is inarguably straight. She could be anything. All we are given on the matter is narrative silence. Given their close relationship during the film’s narrative, Jane and Darcy could very well have been in a romantic one at some time in the past. It is up to the viewer to decide on what exactly their past looks like before the pair gets swept up in the world of gods and monsters.

Thor (2011) is by no means an ostensibly queer film at its surface level. The hero saves the world and gets the girl. However, what stands to be queered is the subtext of the narrative, the unseen stories left up to interpretation by the audience. In addition to that, there are the histories belonging to the characters the audience is introduced to. The characters have relationships with their societies that reflect on our own, lending a certain familiarity to their struggles and identities. Sif remains a unique paragon of Asgardian masculinity despite her nature as a woman. Thor and Loki dance on opposite sides of a thin line in terms of traditionally male versus female roles in life. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis provide a wealth of unexplored subtext in terms of unlabeled sexual identities. As a comic adaptation, the film seems to be traditional Hollywood fare. But beneath the surface, there is far more to look at on a social scale than just fantastical worlds and battles between good and evil.


End file.
